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Alan Yates Sea Fishing Diary | June

I love it when a plan comes together, mainly because it doesn’t happen very often. In my roll as contributing editor to Sea Angler magazine I go out on a feature with a photographer almost weekly and finding pictures of fish when you are tied to a day, any old tide and 9 to 5 working hours is almost impossible. BUT occasionally my trip out with Sea Angler magazine photographer, Lloyd Rogers is successful and that makes a big change for both Lloyd and myself from the normal run of the mill tackle reviews, baits pic that we would normally deal with. Recently I had a call from the magazine, could I use Lloyd for a beach trip, short notice, he had a cancellation. First thing I do in this situation is consult the tide table, and wonders of wonders the tide was perfect and so Lloyd and myself set off for Sandwich Bay in Kent with my angling mate John Wells along for back up.

I chose to fish the ray hot spot near to the Sandwich Bay Yacht club slipway and on arrival, a dismal dull dirty day, the beach was deserted. First cast a typical doggie bite and then a line full of May water suggested that the reason no one is fishing. But no the bite culprit was bigger than a dogfish and a thornback around 6lb surfaced. That’s what you call instant success, but better was to come when on my second cast a much bigger ray christened my new TF Gear Force 8 beachcaster. The fish were fairly close in at 80 yards and the bait was an Ammo sandeel with a Bluey wrap on a 3/0 hook fished on a Pulley rig. I tend only to use a single hook rather than a Pennel when fishing catch and release. Both rays went back to fight another day and that’s perhaps one of the reasons there are plenty around at present. You can read all about the days fishing in Sea Angler in a future issue. In the meantime there is nothing like a bit of success to fire the belly for even more fishing and my next target are some bass.

The May Water is a little late this year undoubtedly because of the freak weather we have had – it’s a pain jamming leader knots and rod rings and its sticks to everything when you remove it because it flicks and splatters off your line. For glasses wearers a nightmare. Well I am sorry I don’t have an instant fix to combat these brown globules that coat line and sea fishing tackle, but if there is a tip its long finger nails or a pair of surgical gloves to pull it off the line as it gets to the reel. Another way to combat it is to bang the fishing rod with the palm of your hand during the retrieve; this can help shake week and gunge off the line.

Finally, don’t leave it on your fishing gear, wash all your reels and fishing rods off when you get home because it’s highly corrosive and smells terrible after festering in the garage for a week!

On the current DVD from TF Gear and Sea Angler magazine I included a review of the TF Gear shelter range. That’s the basic green brolly, the Force 8 brolly and the Hurricane shelter. I am a particular fan of the Force 8 brolly because it is the only sea-angling umbrella THAT IS ACTUALLY MADE SPECIFICALLY FOR SEA ANGLING. Not a lightweight, flimsy rust bucket coarse brolly, but a brolly that has fibre glass, a tough removable hood and built in skirt with shingle pockets, it also has a straight insert support pole for maximum room. Give it a look you will be impressed by how well it is made. A great shelter for match and freelance anglers that have to move with the tide.

COMPETITIONSA new TEAM competition has been arranged by ISAC (The Individual Sea Angling Club) It is for teams that have previously been selected to fish for the Home Nations in the CIPS World Clubs Championships and is being fished on 30th of November and 1st of December at Browndown beach, Hampshire. Organiser is Trevor Sutch of ISAC who is seeking sponsors for the event, which is for teams of ten anglers from the clubs that have been selected to fish the World Clubs Championships. Find isacangler on Google Plus.

My favourite match of the year is the Dover Sea Angling pier Festival which is being fished from Dover breakwater on the 12th/13th and 14th October 13. I am the main organiser and this year the event has been moved forward in the year hopefully to some calmer weather that will allow anglers to fish Dover breakwater, which is only reachable by boat. In previous years the boat has not been able to reach the wall and the event has struggled for fish on the Prince of Wales pier inside Dover harbour. Entry details E Mail: alankyates@aol.com

About Alan Yates

Born in the channel port of Dover, Alan Yates spent his boyhood bass fishing from boat and shore. After a highly successful match fishing career, during which he competed for England 15 times, twice winning gold, Alan went on to become a full time angling journalist. While writing for, among other titles, Angling Times and Improve your Sea Angling, Alan also wrote his seminal work, Sea Fishing. Founder of the Sea Angler’s Match Federation, Alan fought for catch and release in match fishing and sea fishing more generally.